Did Sean Payton give Patriots bulletin-board materials?
New England Patriots
“They’ll relaxation in Cancun too on the finish of the day.”
FOXBOROUGH — The Denver Broncos is perhaps underdogs coming into Sunday’s AFC championship sport in opposition to the New England Patriots.
However Broncos head coach Sean Payton isn’t missing in confidence for his staff — even with Denver now soldiering on with out beginning quarterback Bo Nix.
On Wednesday, Payton was requested by the media in Denver if he had any message for followers after urging them to be loud for final Sunday’s divisional-round victory over the Payments.
“Effectively, they’re going to have loads of relaxation after this one,” Payton stated. “Two weeks.”
In fact, two weeks after Sunday’s AFC championship sport is Tremendous Bowl LX — which can be held in Santa Clara, Calif. at Levi’s Stadium.
It ought to come as little shock {that a} coach would echo loads of confidence in his staff’s odds of punching their ticket to the Tremendous Bowl on Sunday. However may the veteran head coach’s feedback be used as bulletin-board materials by a Patriots staff that has operated with a chip on its shoulder all 12 months?
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was posed such a query on Thursday at Gillette Stadium.
“I feel we’re lots motivated for the sport. I feel our gamers are persevering with to construct confidence via the week,” Vrabel stated. “I’m actually excited to go on the market and play.”
The Patriots have made essentially the most out of no matter slights have come their method this season.
After a dominant defensive efficiency in final Sunday’s AFC divisional-round victory over the Texans, a number of gamers on New England’s protection acknowledged that they took umbrage with the entire discourse surrounding Houston’s imposing defensive unit.
“It fueled the entire protection,” defensive lineman Milton Williams stated final Sunday. “Ain’t no one been speaking about our protection all 12 months. We’ll see what they’ve received to say in the present day.”
“All people was speaking about all of them week and I feel it simply turned us up,” security Jaylinn Hawkins added. “Like, alright, we need to go on the market and present what we are able to do, you realize what I’m saying? However like I stated earlier, respect to them as a result of they balled. They get after it. We simply wished to point out what we are able to do and that’s what confirmed tonight.”
Regardless that Denver enters Sunday’s sport because the top-seeded staff within the AFC, the Patriots are at present tabbed as 4.5-point favorites, based on CBS.
Most of that revolves across the Broncos’ QB state of affairs, as backup Jarrett Stidham is ready to start out on Sunday after Nix suffered a damaged bone in his ankle final weekend throughout Denver’s playoff win over Buffalo.
Stidham — who was drafted by New England in 2019 — has not tried a cross in a regular-season sport since 2023.
Nonetheless, the Broncos determine to be a tricky out for the Patriots, given each their home-field benefit in Denver and their stout defensive unit.
Based mostly on Patriots wideout Kayshon Boutte’s feedback on Thursday, it doesn’t seem as if New England’s offense is fretting over the problem that awaits on Sunday.
“I haven’t seen it,” Boutte stated of Payton’s feedback. “They’ll relaxation in Cancun too on the finish of the day.”
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